High in the hills of Eastern Uganda, where banana trees line the view as far as the eye can see, there is a small community growing coffee. The place is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The air is clear, the rolling mountains are breathtakingly beautiful and the produce… if you want to taste the best pineapples in the world, well then this is your place.
The coffee farm is located right below us, on a steep slope leading into a large valley, where you guessed it, more banana trees blanket the floor. The farm is only 2-acres in size, but it’s relied heavily upon as the community’s main source of revenue. We are visiting the small community thanks to Mountain Harvest, a socially conscious coffee company in Uganda that has made a name for itself in supporting small-holder coffee farms throughout Uganda.
The brainchild of Mountain Harvest, Kenneth Barigye, supports small holder coffee farms by offering education, training and support that allows coffee growers to become more profitable and sustainable. One of the key pillars of education that Kenneth and his team offer to these farmers is how to farm high quality arabica beans. With a strong emphasis on regenerative agriculture (cover cropping, diversity of crop and being chemical free), these farms can not only harvest a higher quality bean, but also create an environment on their farm that is sustainable and fertile.
Article written by Tom Langdon